Routing packets in overlapping address spaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11025542-B2
Application number	US-201916508104-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2019
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

At an outbound end of a tunnel from a first data network, a packet is analyzed to determine whether the packet is to be directed to a local target in the first data network or to be sent over the tunnel to a remote target in a second data network. A target address of the packet is present in both the first data network and the second data network. When the packet is to be directed to the remote target in the second data network, an octet in the target address of the packet is changed from a first value to a second value, the changing forming a modified packet. When the second value is stored in the octet, the modified packet is caused to be sent to the tunnel for delivery to the second data network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining a port number associated with a target address of a first packet, the first packet being directed from an outbound end of a tunnel from a first data network, wherein the target address of the first packet is present in both the first data network and the second data network;
determining, using an address record, that the port number is used in a second data network;
concluding that the first packet is directed to a remote target in the second data network;
changing, responsive to the first packet being directed to the remote target in a second data network, an octet in the target address of the first packet from a first value to a second value, the changing forming a first modified packet; and
causing, responsive to storing the second value of the octet, the first modified packet to be sent to the tunnel connecting to the second data network.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
causing a second packet to be received at an inbound end of the tunnel at the second data network;
causing a determination at the inbound end whether the second packet has the second value in the octet in the target address;
modifying, responsive to the target address having the second value in the octet, the second value to a third value, wherein the third value is suitable for routing the second packet to the remote target in the second data network, the modifying forming a modified second packet; and
routing the modified second packet to the remote target in the second data network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a target address in the second packet is the target address in the first modified packet.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein a target address in the modified second packet is the target address in the first packet.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
routing, responsive to the first packet being directed to the local target in the first data network, the first packet to the first data network, wherein a sender of the first packet is on a third data network, and wherein first data network and the third data network are both on the outbound end of the tunnel.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the tunnel from a plurality of tunnels, wherein the tunnel corresponds to the second value of the octet.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first data network is configured with a first set of internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses and the second data network is configured with a second set of IPv4 addresses, and wherein the first set of IPv4 addresses and the second set of IPv4 addresses have at least one subset of addresses that are same in the first and the second sets, and wherein the target address is a member of the at least one subset of addresses.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a source identifier associated with a sender of the first packet, wherein the sender uses a first source identifier for sending packets to the local target and a second source identifier for sending packets to the remote target; and
concluding, responsive to determining by using an address record that the source identifier is the second source identifier, that the first packet is directed to the remote target in the second data network.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the source identifier is an IP address of the sender, and wherein the first source identifier is a first IP address associated with the sender and the second source identifier is a second IP address associated with the sender.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target address is an IPv4 target address, and wherein the octet is a first octet in the IPv4 target address.

11. A computer usable program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the stored program instructions comprising:
program instructions to determine a port number associated with a target address of a first packet, the first packet being directed from an outbound end of a tunnel from a first data network, wherein the target address of the first packet is present in both the first data network and the second data network;
program instructions to determine, using an address record, that the port number is used in a second data network;
program instructions to conclude that the first packet is directed to a remote target in the second data network;
program instructions to change, responsive to the first packet being directed to the remote target in a second data network, an octet in the target address of the first packet from a first value to a second value, the changing forming a first modified packet; and
program instructions to cause, responsive to storing the second value of the octet, the first modified packet to be sent to the tunnel connecting to the second data network.

12. The computer usable program product of claim 11 , further comprising:
program instructions to cause a second packet to be received at an inbound end of the tunnel at the second data network;
program instructions to cause a determination at the inbound end whether the second packet has the second value in the octet in the target address;
program instructions to modify, responsive to the target address having the second value in the octet, the second value to a third value, wherein the third value is suitable for routing the second packet to the remote target in the second data network, the modifying forming a modified second packet; and
program instructions to route the modified second packet to the remote target in the second data network.

13. The computer usable program product of claim 12 , wherein a target address in the second packet is the target address in the first modified packet.

14. The computer usable program product of claim 12 , wherein a target address in the modified second packet is the target address in the first packet.

15. The computer usable program product of claim 11 , further comprising:
program instructions to route, responsive to the first packet being directed to the local target in the first data network, the first packet to the first data network, wherein a sender of the first packet is on a third data network, and wherein first data network and the third data network are both on the outbound end of the tunnel.

16. The computer usable program product of claim 11 , further comprising:
program instructions to select the tunnel from a plurality of tunnels, wherein the tunnel corresponds to the second value of the octet.

17. The computer usable program product of claim 11 , wherein the first data network is configured with a first set of internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses and the second data network is configured with a second set of IPv4 addresses, and wherein the first set of IPv4 addresses and the second set of IPv4 addresses have at least one subset of addresses that are same in the first and the second sets, and wherein the target address is a member of the at least one subset of addresses.

18. The computer usable program product of claim 11 , wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage device in a data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is transferred over a network from a remote data processing system.

19. The computer usable program product of claim 11 , wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage device in a server data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is

Assignees

• IBM
• Int Business Machines Corporation Armonk Ny

Inventors

• Anderson Eric M
• Hearn Susan A
• Loving Linwood E
• Mclaughlin Martin G
• Miller Daniel R
• Simmons John B
• Boyle Joseph V

Classifications

• H04L69/22

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L45/74 Primary

  Address processing for routing · CPC title